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Affordable makeup brushes

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Makeup brushes are an absolute game changer in terms of how your makeup looks. They can make or break the way your overall look turns out. Depending on the types of tools you use, you can achieve anything from quick, and natural to full coverage glam. There are so many different affordable brands to choose from, but if you don't do your research you can end up with some real duds. Today I am sharing my entire makeup brush collection with you as well as highlighting my favourites.

Real Techniques

I have been using Real Techniques products for almost 4 years now, and they are definitely the best all around makeup brushes at the drugstore. From face brushes to eyeshadow brushes they get 5 gold stars from me! They're soft, blend makeup like a dream and are such amazing quality for the price. I haven't tried a brush of theirs that I don't like! Although each brush has it's use written on the handle (great for beginners), you can experiment and use a brush multiple ways. For example theircontour brush is perfect for highlighting.

If I could only recommend one thing from this entire line it would hands down be their Miracle Complexion Sponge. I do not go a day without using it to apply my foundation and concealer. Such a phenomenal product that is a great dupe for the Beauty Blender, and it's less than half the price! With that being said, anything from this brand is incredible! So you really can't go wrong picking something out.

Quo by Shoppers Drugmart

These brushes are the most expensive out of all the brushes I own, but they are often on sale for 40% off, which gives them a more budget friendly price tag. Their eyeshadows brushes aren't the best at blending, but their face brushes are incredible!

I bought their large bronzing brush 5 years ago and it still performs as if I bought it yesterday. I also love their cream blush brush for blending out cream blush seamlessly. Their fan brush is great at packing on the highlight and giving an intense glow. Unfortunately this brand is only sold in Canada, but for all my Canadian beauty lovers out there, I would definitely check them out!

Miscellaneous

I've got a few random brushes from a bunch of different stores that I thought also deserved a little shoutout. Elf Cosmestics and Wet n Wild do extremely cheap brushes ($1-$8) that both surprised me with peformance. I wasn't expecting much from them but they are SO good! I particularly love the Elf blush brush for setting my under eye area with powder. Because it is slightly tapered it fits right in the corner of my eye to protect from creasing throughout the day.

Angled brushes are an absolute must have in my opinion! I have 2 that I use for cream eyeliner and brow pomade/gel. One is from Essence and the other is from F21 (believe it or not!). I can't complain about either one of them! Because they are so small, thin and stiff I'm able to get a really precise sharp line. I would recommend picking up the Essence one, since it is such a versatile product!

Now although I do not encourage purchasing makeup on eBay since they are 99.9% of the time fake, and made with super sketchy ingredients, you can find some great "fake" makeup brushes on eBay that are extremely affordable! I've never spent more than $2 on a brush. The only downside is that they do shed quite a bit, and can be a bit scratchy feeling. Just make sure to wash them a couple times before using them and they are fine!

I can't get enough of my fake Nars brush for contouring. It is the perfect size to define my cheekbones and jaw. I also really love my fake MAC eyeshadow brushes. I was pretty sceptical when I ordered them since they were only $0.99 each, but I use them on the daily to blend my eyeshadow. I don't consider myself a pro in terms of eyeshadow application, but these brushes definitely help!